<p>for any current students, which dorm is better, preston or columbia?
also, is it much harder to get into preston?</p>
<p>I know people who live in Preston who did not apply for it, so I think if you put in some time on the application, you should get it, but housing can be funny.</p>
<p>Preston is in a better location and it’s a pretty close-knit group of people. However, Columbia Hall is a popular freshman dorm.</p>
<p>They’re both good dorms. I’ve probably heard more complaints about Cola Hall than I have Preston, but that might just be because Preston is smaller.</p>
<p>The one downside to Preston (which a lot of people consider an upside) is their required meal plan. You have to eat at the Preston dining hall four (I think) times a week. The food is supposedly a lot better than Russell, but the Meal Plan is more expensive.</p>
<p>Thanks, AUGirl–</p>
<p>Your active involvement on this site really helps us!</p>
<p>Any thoughts on Patterson? There’s an uplift in cost and I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it…your candid opinions welcome.</p>
<p>Preston is really nice. From the room that I’ve been in, you still share it with a roommate, but it’s really big. There is also a lot of closet space, and just a ton of room. It’s also located right across from Russell House, so that’s convenient. </p>
<p>Columbia hall has a convenient location to freshman classes, and has a reputation for being a crazy party dorm. It’s right across from Capstone (another freshman dorm), which has Gibbes Court in it. So food is convenient. Columbia hall has good rooms, from what I’ve seen. I also think it’s cheaper than Preston</p>
<p>^The actual housing for Preston is the same as Columbia Hall. It’s the meal plan that is more expensive (by about $300~ a semester). [Optional</a> Fees : Office of Bursar](<a href=“Bursar's Office - Bursar's Office | University of South Carolina”>Bursar's Office - Bursar's Office | University of South Carolina)</p>
<p>Patterson is extremely nice. I’ve been in there a few times and it really feels like a brand new building and not just a remodeled building. The furniture is nice. The rooms are pretty spacious. Everything in there is nice. The only reason I didn’t want to live there was because it was all girls and I wanted co-ed. I have several friends there currently who love it and even have a couple of friends who decided to live there sophomore year.</p>
<p>And you’re welcome! I’m really glad to help out. It’s great that there are so many of us on here willing to respond. I know it can be a really difficult decision on where to go to college and then even once you decide, everything can be pretty complicated.</p>
<p>Just a sidenote that Columbia Hall might not be close to all of your classes. If you’re a science/engineering major, you might not have any over there. I’ve yet to have a class on that side of campus and I know plenty of other people who have had maybe 1 class on that side. But it is a good place if you’re looking for co-ed, suite-style, and not very strict. The people I know who live in Preston really love it, and they’re mostly upperclassmen so they’ve been living there for a few years. I think it really depends on location (extreme end of campus for Columbia, very center of campus for Preston) and if you’re willing to pay extra for the Preston meal plan.</p>
<p>Yeah. Columbia Hall is a good location for some majors, but it is on the very edge of campus. If you’re going to be taking a lot of Business classes, it’s the closest dorm to the BA.</p>
<p>But if you have a class in Swearingen (which I did, even as a Theatre major), it’s the furthest possible building. There’s 1.4 miles between the two. Preston is very centrally located. It’s still a very short walk over to Gambrell and Humanities. It’s also a very short walk to the science buildings and Calcott.</p>
<p>Classes aren’t always in the building they’re supposed to be. This semester, I don’t have a class in Humanities and I took two French classes and an English course. I’ve never even had a class in Gambrell.</p>
<p>I’ve only had three classes over there during this first year. One was at Columbia Hall (my U101 class) because I thought it would be close to my dorm. It wasn’t. I ended up hating the walk every morning. The other two were Humanities (last semester) and Nursing (this semester). Most of my classes have been in Calcott and BTW.</p>